Police said the victims included a 4-month-old child, a 4-year-old child, their mother and their grandmother.
PLANT CITY, FL — Plant City police are investigating the deaths of four family members found shot Sunday at two locations, including two young children, their 28-year-old mother and the children’s 55-year-old grandmother.
The case became a multi-scene homicide investigation after officers first responded to a disturbance call in the 300 block of West Tever Street. Police said a 4-month-old child and a 4-year-old child were dead at that scene. Their mother was still alive when officers arrived, but she later died at a hospital. A third child was found there unharmed.
Investigators later were led to a second location in the 900 block of North Burton Street, where police said they found the 55-year-old mother of the 28-year-old woman dead from a gunshot wound. Police said the killings happened May 3 and involved people who moved between the two locations during the early morning. Officials have not released the victims’ names, a suspect’s name or a motive. The Plant City Police Department said the investigation remains active and that some details are being withheld while detectives continue reviewing evidence.
Police said the first call brought officers to West Tever Street, a residential area near the city’s downtown neighborhoods. At that location, officers found four people, including the two children and their mother. The two children had gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The mother also had been shot and was taken for medical care before she died. Another child at the scene had not been physically hurt. Neighbor Jodi Kott said she heard gunfire around 7 a.m. “I only heard two gunshots, and I flew out of bed,” Kott said. She said she looked outside but did not immediately see what had happened.
As officers worked the first scene, the investigation expanded to North Burton Street. Police said they found the older woman dead there and connected the two locations as part of the same homicide investigation. Detectives said some people traveled on foot between the Burton Street and Tever Street areas during the early morning hours. Police asked nearby residents and businesses to check surveillance and doorbell camera video recorded from 5:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. on May 3. Investigators said they are looking for footage showing a woman walking with three young children near North Burton Street, West Tever Street or nearby blocks.
The two addresses are in Plant City, a Hillsborough County city east of Tampa with residential streets, small businesses and older homes near its downtown core. The West Tever Street area is close to the Downtown Plant City Historic Residential District, a neighborhood known for older houses and tree-lined blocks. The police response drew attention across the city because the victims spanned three generations of one family. Officials have not said whether the shooting began at one location and continued at the other, whether the victims were targeted or whether any weapon has been recovered.
Police have not announced any arrest or charges. They also have not said whether detectives are searching for one person or more than one person. The department said information can be given anonymously, but it did not release a timeline for when more details would be made public. The next steps include reviewing video from homes and businesses, processing evidence from both scenes and interviewing people who may have seen movement between the two streets before 7 a.m. Investigators also are expected to work with medical examiners as the deaths are formally reviewed.
Residents near the scenes described a shaken neighborhood after police vehicles and crime scene tape blocked parts of the area. Kott said the loss was difficult to process because children were among the dead. “I absolutely pray for them,” she said. Another neighbor, John Czarniak, said there had been concern in the area before the shooting, including a dispute police had been called about days earlier. Police have not confirmed that any earlier dispute led to the killings. Officials have said the motive remains unknown, and they have not released records tying any named person to the deaths.
The Plant City Police Department said the case remains an active homicide investigation. As of Tuesday, May 5, no suspect had been publicly identified, and detectives were still seeking video from the 5:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. window on May 3.
Author note: Last updated May 5, 2026.